Teacher educators’ attitudes towards the teaching profession in Tanzania

This study investigated teacher educators’ attitudes towards the teaching profession in Tanzania. The specific objectives of the study were to: identify the attitudes of the teacher educators towards the teaching profession, ascertain reasons for teacher educators’ attitudes towards the teaching profession, and examine how teacher educators’ attitudes affect the teaching profession. The study employed mixed-methods research approach with concurrent triangulation design where criterion purposive, stratified and simple random techniques were involved in sampling procedures. Criterion purposive sampling was used to sample colleges; stratified and simple random samplings were used to attain sample of one hundred and four respondents, where ninety nine were Prospective School Teachers (PST) and five were Lecturers and Tutors (LT). Data were collected through questionnaires, face-to-face oral interview and focused group discussion methods and then analyzed using descriptive statistical and thematic strategies. The descriptive statistical analysis was for quantitative data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 while thematic analysis was for qualitative data made through NVIVO version 12. The Cronbach’s alpha (α) was used to test internal consistency of questionnaire items. The study observed teacher educators had contrast varied attitudes towards the teaching profession involving intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. The study also found out that inadequacy of job content, job demand, job control and job context in the teaching profession contributed the teacher educators’ attitudes towards the teaching profession. The study further noted teacher educators’ attitudes had both positive and negative effects that motivate or demotivate teacher educators work performance in the profession. It was concluded that job content, job demands, job control and job context in teaching profession provided varied attitudes of the teacher educators towards the teaching profession. Furthermore, the study concludes that imbalanced job content, job demands, job control and job context related to sociological and psychological expectations are the reasons of the teacher educators’ attitudes towards the teaching profession. Finally, it is concluded that, there are effects of teacher educators’ attitudes on the teaching profession in both work performance and education provision of teacher education. Among others, the study recommends to the government through Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), President’s Office - Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) to provide the teachers with teaching incentives, resolve long standing teachers’ payment claims and to reduce large variation of salaries within the mainstreaming professions.